


Carnal Instincts

by DameoftheDark



Series: Dani Phantom [13]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, finally I bring you the good good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:14:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25171456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameoftheDark/pseuds/DameoftheDark
Summary: As Winter Break slowly draws to a close, Dani finds herself under the thrall of The Need once again. This time, however, it is more powerful than ever. Unable to fight it off, the heroine tracks her mentor down to his home in Colorado, finding herself face to face with a hoard of ghost animals that wish to rip everything apart. After they are dealt with, Dani confides in her mentor, finally telling him about The Need. As it happens, she wasn't alone, and the two come to understand just how deep their feelings really go.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Vlad Masters
Series: Dani Phantom [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1079526
Comments: 44
Kudos: 67





	Carnal Instincts

**Author's Note:**

> NOTHING I CAN SAY CAN ATONE FOR MY HIDEOUSLY LONG DELAY! I'm truly sorry it took so long to update. School, work, financial issues, other projects; the usual excuses. Never the less, I sincerely hope that those of you who (for some reason) stuck around this long, I hope the wait was well worth it! I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I have not lost interest in this story, nor have I given up on it. I hope you will stick around to see this to its conclusion---whenever that may be!

The young ghost girl sat on her bed, music from Dumpty Humpy’s newest album pouring into her ears from her hot pink headphones. As she bobbed her head to a rather loud guitar solo, her baby blues scanned the book in her lap. As was customary, she was assigned quite a bit of English homework over Christmas break, and only now was she bothering to get it done. Dani had to read a novel---one assigned by Lancer, of course---and was responsible for writing a ten-page analysis of the book. That part, she was dreading. The heroine had never been one for writing papers. All of the research papers she had to do throughout her school career thus far turned out to be no better than B- or C worthy. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t do it, however. Writing wasn’t particularly hard, but if it didn’t involve coming up with her own narrative, she tended to be lost. For indeed, when she was younger the ghost girl enjoyed writing her own stories---a hobby that was carried over into her adolescence.

Only problem was, high school and ghost fighting didn’t leave much time for writing stories.

She would often receive help from Sam when it came to writing research or English papers. The goth had a way with words and structuring said words that made it easy for him to write pretty much anything. It also didn’t hurt that the boy seemed to have the memory of an elephant.

Dani, however, had a hard time remembering the material she read.

Just take notes, Sam would tell her, and maybe he was right. But the girl found that jotting down things took her right out of the zone as she read. It was disruptive and caused her to lose interest even faster.

Perhaps that would change if she did it more often? Maybe, but she didn’t feel inclined to start now.

In point of fact, what she was reading now was actually keeping her interest. Shakespeare had been the word of the day before the break, but now it was Charlotte Bronte. Though some of the words were a bit complicated, Dani understood what was happening in the book. She found herself relating to the protagonist, which wasn’t all that surprising after she had read a synopsis. Actually, there were quite a few parallels between her own circumstances and those of the main character that her stomach felt giddy.

Maybe an analysis on this particular book wouldn’t be so hard after all?

As the final chorus rang through her headphones, Dani leaned back, resting her back against the headboard of her bed. Not but a few seconds later did she notice her phone vibrating on her bedside table. Though she couldn’t hear it, she saw how it quivered and lit up. The young girl rested the open book on her leg, pulled her headphones down to her neck, and reached over for her cell phone. She flicked it open with her thumb and saw a text message from Tucker.

// _doing the hw yet?_ //

Dani blinked and wrote her response.

// _yeah. Its not that bad, actually_ //

// _ur kidding, rite? It’s soooooo boring!!!_ //

// _not really. It’s a love story, and a pretty interesting 1 too_ //

// _how in the world is it interesting? I can barely get past the 1 st chapter!_//

// _ok, in the beginning it was kinda boring, but trust me, it gets a lot better. See, Jane grows up and gets a job as a governess for a little girl that lives with this guy named Rochester, and she’s like his child or something, and Jane and Rochester fall in love_ //

// _whens that part?_ //

Dani giggled.

// _it’s quite a ways in. just keep reading and u’ll get there_ //

// _oh fine. Btw, I can see y u like this book so much ;)_ //

The heroine rolled her eyes, but continued to smile. She couldn’t help it. Rochester, in many ways, reminded her of Vlad; he was tall, dark, mysterious even, and even though Jane herself did not describe him as handsome, Rochester sure as heck sounded it. He had an athletic build, which apparently wasn’t considered appealing back in Victorian England. He also had thick dark hair, and though not like Vlad’s, Dani imagined that his hair might have been so before his accident. Plus, Rochester was blunt, honest, and very passionate. He loved Jane so much that he tried to make her jealous by making it seem like he was going to marry another woman. And since he never outright said he would marry this other woman, he had Jane believing so and Dani found herself just as fooled.

She wondered if Vlad would’ve done something like that if she hadn’t confessed her feelings back at Circus Gothica.

_It kinda seems in character for him, I guess._

// _am I really that transparent?_ //

// _a little, but don’t worry about it. its 1 of the things that make u cute :P_ //

// _wow, Tuck, thats awfully forward of u ;)_ //

// _hey, I’m just telling it like it is. Speaking of which, has Sam txted u yet?_ //

// _no. y?_ //

// _he said that he’s got something important to tell u, but if he hasn’t txted u yet he’s probably being held captive by his parents_ //

// _r they going on another trip?_ //

// _I think so. They should b back by the time school starts tho._ //

// _so sam probably had his phone taken away again?_ //

// _probably. U know how his folks feel about “family time”_ //

She did indeed. Whenever Sam was on a trip with his parents, they forbade him from using his phone. They deemed it a distraction and told him that they were supposed to spend time together and not play with cellphones. He disobeyed this one too many times and as a result he’s no longer allowed to have it when they go on vacations.

This was why she wasn’t surprised she didn’t hear from him on Christmas.

But she did a few days after, and **boy** did he have a lot to say.

// _so whats the big scoop?_ //

// _funny u should phrase it like that. He told me that he’s got a “big scoop” on Vlad, but didn’t say what_ //

_Vlad? Why is Sam looking into Vlad? It sounds like he was investigating him or something._

Was his jealously still so strong that he would try to dig up dirt on him? No, the rebel wouldn’t go that far. If he was looking into the older man, there had to be another reason.

But it still made her blood boil.

// _y is he doing this? Is he trying to make me angry?_ //

// _I told him u wouldn’t like it, but he said it’s already done, and that u should **really** know what he found out_//

// _know what?_ //

// _he didn’t say_ //

Dani groaned irately.

// _whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t need another reason 4 him 2 belittle or berate Vlad anymore_ //

// _I feel u, but I think its serious. Sam never once said “I told u so”_ //

// _what exactly did he say?_ //

Rather than respond, Tucker forwarded the text to the heroine.

// _Tucker, this is important. I found something that I think u and Dani should know. I told u that there’s something about Vlad that doesn’t sit rite with me, and I finally know y that is. I found several newspaper articles from a decade ago that can’t b ignored, not even by Dani._ //

What did **that** mean?

// _see what I mean?_ //

// _not really. It just sounds like he’s grasping at straws again_ //

// _maybe he is, but we should hear him out anyway_ //

Should she though? Dani had already heard enough, but the goth had communicated on several occasions his frustrations about not being understood. He was only trying to look out for her, and perhaps that’s what he was doing here. It could be that he just happened upon this information, that he wasn’t really investigating the billionaire. Even if he was, however, the heroine owed it to him to at least hear what he has to say, right? If nothing else but to alleviate his concerns over not being fully understood.

With a sigh, Dani replied to the computer geek.

// _I guess so. When he gets in touch with me, I’ll hear him out_ //

// _same here_ //

The girls talked for another hour before Dani was alerted by Jazz that dinner was ready. Determined to finish the book before midnight, the ghost girl ate quickly and only stopped for breath and brief conversation. Jack and Maddie, though perplexed, didn’t discourage Dani’s fervency. As soon as she was back upstairs, the young heroine jumped back onto her bed and resumed her reading. However, she didn’t get all that far when her phone began ringing. With a groan, the ghost girl grabbed the device from the bedside table and flicked it open again, not pausing before holding it up to her ear.

“So what’s this ‘big scoop’ you’ve got, Sam?” she asked in a impatient tone.

“Sam? Goodness, Danielle, don’t you look at the Caller ID?”

The girl’s heart thumped in her chest.

“Vlad? My bad, I thought you were Sam ‘cause he’s supposed to get in touch with me,” she explained, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

“It’s quite alright, my dear,” the tycoon replied kindly. “Why is Samuel supposed to be in touch with you?”

The girl hesitated. She didn’t know if she should be truthful, but she also promised her mentor that she wouldn’t lie to him.

Well, considering that this may just be another attempt by the rebel to scare her away from Vlad, perhaps it was harmless.

“Sam thinks he’s got something on you and he wants to tell me about it,” she illuminated dryly.

“Oh does he now? I would be most interested to see just what he ‘has’ on me.”

“I doubt it’s anything to get worked up over,” Dani said with a sigh, despite herself. “But I can’t help but feel annoyed. It’s like he’s on a witch hunt.”

“I imagine he simply wishes to feel vindicated,” the older man surmised. “He knows that you will never return his feelings so instead he will grasp at whatever straw he can to invalidate me in your eyes.”

“That won’t ever happen,” the younger half ghost admitted, her voice taking on a much more bashful tone.

“I should hope not,” the older man said in earnest. “My life would cease to have meaning if you were to abandon me.”

“I would never do that!” the girl exclaimed, a little louder than she intended. She really hoped her parents didn’t hear that.

Vlad chuckled into her ear, causing her blush to deepen.

“I am much obliged, little badger.”

“S-so anyway, what’s with the sudden call?” she inquired.

“I wanted to hear your voice,” the businessman answered honestly. “That is all.”

“One of these days, you’ll call me for something real serious and I won’t believe you,” she joked. With all the times he’s called just because he wanted to talk to her, it seemed like a dire call was far out of the realm of possibility.

“Then let us hope that never happens,” he responded.

Dani glanced at the clock on her wall.

“It’s a little late for anything too serious, anyway.”

“I think you’ll find that the most serious of news comes at the most inopportune times,” Vlad said matter-of-factly.

Even from her limited experience with receiving bad news, the ghost girl could corroborate that.

“You know, I’ve noticed something,” Dani began. “You always tend to call me at nighttime, whether its around 7 or 8 or even 10 or later.”

“I would call you during the day, little badger, but I’m busy with work,” he explained. “Besides, if I did, I would never be able to refocus.”

The girl giggled.

“I guess so.”

“Moreover, I tend to be overcome with loneliness at night,” Vlad said openly. “When so many others are with their families or friends after a long workday, I am here, alone and isolated in my spacious abode.”

“W-well, I thought you liked big houses?” Dani asked, not sure what to do with herself. She felt sad for her mentor, so sad yet also embarrassed that she wasn’t sure **how** to respond.

“Oh, I do, just as I don’t mind being alone.”

“But you just said---”

“I meant with regard to you, my sweet little badger,” he clarified softly, speaking directly into her ear. “When I allow myself the time, my mind becomes consumed by thoughts of you and I begin to miss you dearly.”

“O-oh…” Was her only reply. Her face felt like it was under a radiator and her stomach felt light in her abdomen.

All at once, she wanted to see him. The ghost girl wanted nothing more than to fly into his arms and remain there all night.

“But you must forgive me,” the older man stated, “It is improper to heave all of this on you.”

“I-it’s O.K.,” the heroine replied, a little too quickly. “You’re just being honest with me.”

“Even so, I do not wish to make you think that you are obligated to do anything,” the tycoon maintained. “It is I who must deal with these feelings.”

“But I want to be there for you, remember? Didn’t I tell you that I didn’t want to be like a child forever?”

“Yes, but those circumstances were a little different, wouldn’t you agree?” he teased. At the memory of what transpired in the older man’s lab, Dani’s heart skipped a beat.

“M-maybe…”

“In any case, there is nothing that can be done about it,” the older half ghost stated. “It is almost your curfew, so it would be wise for you to remain at home, and it would be equally as wise for me to remain where I am.”

“I guess so…”

“What’s this? You sound almost disappointed.” Vlad said in a tone that suggested he was smirking.

“I-I’m not!”

“Really? Because I am, knowing that I can’t hold you, touch you, or even kiss you,” he said in a near whisper. “Knowing that I can’t feel your skin, to lightly touch it with my fingertips as I trace them down your neck, is so very disappointing to me.”

“R-right…”

“Even now, all I want to do is caress that soft skin of yours, perhaps as I trace my fingers over your thighs and nibble on you ear.”

“I-is that right?” Dani asked, not really knowing what to say.

“Indeed it is, my darling,” he said lowly. “Oh, but I must say no more; anymore and I shall not be able to control myself.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I am giving it my all **not** to teleport to you right now, Danielle,” he confessed. “I think it is time to say good night.”

_So soon?_

Sadly, yes. Dani understood how hard Vlad fought himself, so giving him any sort of encouragement wouldn’t do well in this instance.

No matter how much she wanted to.

“O.K., then…good night,” she said, tying her best not to sound disappointed.

“Good night, my love,” the older half ghost replied, his tone like honey.

The young girl waited for the beep. She put her cell phone back on the bedside table and threw herself down onto her pillows. Now she was all riled up. She wanted to see him. Dani wanted to throw herself into her mentor’s warm and welcoming arms and feel every part of him. She wanted to smell his woodsy musk, to feel his warm skin, and to feel his hands on her. The ghost girl squirmed and whined in her throat as her mind took her back to his lab. She shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to dislodge the memories from her brain. It wouldn’t do her any good to recall them now.

Dani sat up quickly and reached for her book. Perhaps she could throw herself back into her reading and forget how stirred up she was?

***************

Her dreams were no more forgiving than her thoughts. Before she awoke the next morning, Dani dreamt of her mentor, tall and elegant and handsome, waiting for her in his bedroom. She had never seen his room before, but in her dream it was like that of a king’s; lush carpet upon the floor, lavish furniture about the space, and a warm fireplace alight in the corner. The older man’s bed was unreasonably large and adorned with a crimson comforter, one that was the same color as his eyes in his ghost form. He himself wore his usual suit, but also a seductive smile, where his eyes bore into her as if he could see right through her clothes. He took her by the hand and led her onto his bed, gently pushing her down and leaving butterfly kisses on her cheek, neck, and sternum. She sighed, smiling sweetly as his hands traveled up and down her body. He whispered in her ear, though she couldn’t remember what he said. Then the older man nibbled at her ear, causing her to moan. She whispered his name and he hummed in response. Vlad placed his hand on her breast, massaging it carefully. The girl could feel heat pool within her, threatening to spill from somewhere she desperately wanted touched.

“Vlad,” she whined, taking hold of his blazer and gently pulling herself up to his ear. “Please touch me.”

“Where?” he asked, his tone so soft and his smile so heavy with lust.

“You know where.”

“Not unless you tell me.”

“My clit…” the ghost girl whispered.

The older half ghost hummed again and ran his hand down her bare leg. Dani wasn’t sure when her pants came off, but she didn’t care. All at once, he was without a shirt, as if it disappeared with her jeans. His hand reached her underwear and slipped right under them, wasting no time at all. Vlad’s finger was rubbing her most sensitive bud delicately and teasingly. The younger half ghost wiggled, attempting to create more friction.

“Now now, what’s this?” the tycoon teased. “Desperate for me, are you?”

“You know I am,” the girl affirmed, smirking up at him. “You know how much I want you.”

“Oh, I do, my dearest little love, I do.”

He rubbed her clit harder, suddenly jumping from a light teasing to giving her everything she needed.

“Vlad!” she cried out, overcome with wanting to feel him everywhere.

“You’re perfect, Danielle, simply perfect,” the older man praised in a whisper.

“God!” the ghost girl gasped before bucking her hips in time with his finger’s motions. “More!”

“Do you want more, little badger? Do you want more of me?”

“Yes!”

“How much more?”

“All of it!”

He chuckled darkly as he massaged her breast harder, squeezing and kneading at it feverishly. As his finger flicked and rolled her clitoris, the young heroine felt more heat building in her core, just beneath her stomach. She cried out again, enduring sensations so intense but so needed.

“Vlad!”

“Oh, my dear girl, you are perfection.”

Dani’s eyes opened as she lay in her bed, blushing like mad. She had dreamt of similar situations before, but they were never this intimate. The girl whined and turned her back to the ceiling, concealing her face in her pillows. Thank goodness school wasn’t in session yet---how on earth could she go to class with such thoughts in her mind?

After ten minutes of stillness, Dani rose from her bed. She checked her phone, still no word from Sam. The heroine surmised that she would have to wait until next Monday to hear from him---that day being, of course, the day they go back to Casper High for the spring semester. Dani got dressed quickly, choosing her cashmere sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans to go with her black converse before she exited her room. The half ghost heroine didn’t have a game plan for the day, so she thought she’d enjoy a leisurely morning before getting back into her reading assignment. Breakfast was nothing special, just eggs and bacon, but it was enough to satisfy, and her company was equally as adequate. Her parents mostly talked about ghosts, so it was up to Jazz to offer differing topics. Dani and her sister talked about the book she was reading---it turned out that Jazz read the same thing when she was in Lancer’s class---and the redhead had quite a bit to say about the book.

If only Dani had her notepad.

At around 3 in the afternoon, Dani was almost finished with the book when she received a text from Tucker. The computer geek informed her that she had given up on the book and was simply going to read a summary online and call it a day. Knowing that her friend didn’t have much of a head of literature, the blue-eyed half ghost decided to leave her be.

Then again, **she** didn’t have much of a head for it either.

Just like the night before, the two girls talked for an hour before Dani told her that she needed to get to work on her paper. At this point, she only had four days to do it, so she advised Tucker to do the same. Once the conversation ended, the heroine put her phone back on her bedside table and stood, stretching her arms up and feeling her back pop. As she made her way to her desk, she heard the phone vibrate against the wooden surface of the table. Turning to face it, she noticed that it kept vibrating. Who would be calling her at 4 o’clock on a Thursday?

_It has to be Sam. Maybe he got his phone back._

She walked back over to her bedside table and grabbed her cell phone. The Caller ID wasn’t Sam’s and this made the girl all the more confused.

She knew it who it was, but shouldn’t he be working?

Just as she was about to answer, it stopped. Puzzled, Dani opened her phone and looked at the screen. Abruptly, she got a notification for a text message, startling her.

// _I am sorry for the sudden call, little badger, but I needed to let you know that I won’t be able to make today’s training session. There’s an issue at my home in Colorado that I have to see to. I must leave straight away, but I should be due to return in a few days. I hope that you had a good New Years, and I will be anticipating our next meeting. I love you._ //

“That’s right, we were supposed to have a training session today,” Dani remembered. All of her focus had been on her homework that she completely forgot. Perhaps it was better this way, then. Now, at least, she could get to work right away and not have any distractions.

Still, it made her sad to know that she wouldn’t be seeing her mentor for a little while.

“I wonder what’s going on with his house in Colorado?” she thought out loud. “Plumbing issues, maybe?”

The heroine said down at her desk and booted up her computer. Hopefully, this assignment wouldn’t take long to finish. With some luck, perhaps she could get it done before the day was out.

“Why do I seriously doubt that?”

Before she could open Microsoft Word, her door was thrown open. Startled, she turned to see her parents standing at the threshold.

“Dani! We just wanted to tell you that we’re going out of town for the weekend,” Jack enlightened, smiling as big a smile as always.

“Your father and I have been invited to a premier ghost hunting convention in Springfield as guest speakers on an invention panel! Isn’t that wonderful?” Maddie enthused, eyes sparkling.

“Uh yeah! Good job, guys,” the heroine replied, offering a smile of her own before letting it drop. “But, was crashing into my room really necessary?”

“Hey, once your own our own house and pay your own bills, you can crash into any room you want,” Jack stated with a grin, holding his finger up as if to indicate his point.

“So, we’ll be leaving as soon as we can and we’ll be back late Sunday night. You can Jazz can order pizza or got out to eat if you like.”

“Wait, really?” Dani asked, surprise and excitement welling up within her.

“Sure! You two will be fully responsible for the house, though,” the father of two said in a clear tone, one that said he wasn’t about to lecture, but that he was serious.

“No problem,” the half ghost heroine responded. “It’s not like I’ll be doing anything crazy anyway---I’ve got a whole paper to write.”

“Well, good news all around then,” Maddie stated as she clapped her hands together. “So, take good care of the house while we’re gone.”

“Got it, Mom,” Dani said with a roll eye and a smile.

“Oh, and dinner will be on you and Jazz tonight. Your Mother and I will be on our way to Springfield!”

“No problem, Dad.”

“O.K., Maddie, lets start getting ready!” Jack exclaimed before rushing away and down the stairs. Maddie followed quickly behind, leaving Dani alone in her room again. She got up and closed her door, taking a second to look around her room without really seeing it. How inopportune, the one weekend where her folks won’t be home, and Vlad isn’t even in town either. Of course, given her dream last night, perhaps it was better that he wouldn’t be around for a little bit. The last thing she needed was to be tempted into something that neither she nor Vlad could fight.

No, it was best that she didn’t see him until her mind was out of the gutter.

“Who knows,” she thought out loud. “Vlad’s mind might not be in the gutter anymore either.”

Then she laughed. His mind was **always** in the gutter.

**************

After only working on her paper for two hours, she was already willing to take an F. No matter how much thought she put into it, she just couldn’t get her mind to approach the story analytically. Her head lay on the desk, resting sideways as a pained expression burdened her features. She contemplated calling Tucker, but she didn’t want to bother her. The geek was also, no doubt, toiling over the stupid paper.

Then, another thought occurred to her: maybe she could get Vlad to help?

_No, he’s on his way to Colorado right now. I guess I’ll just stop for today. Hopefully something will come to me tomorrow._

Lord willing, anyway.

The ghost girl rose from her seat, suddenly feeling a slight pain in her body. Confused, she looked over herself---and then it hit.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire. The girl’s fair skin adopted an alarming shade of pink as hot air filled her lungs. Dani gasped and grabbed the knob of her bedroom door, hoping that it would be able to hold her up. Her face felt hot and the hands were trembling, soon followed by her legs. She collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud, wincing as she made impact. As a dull pain rose in her side, the ghost girl gasped for air, knowing that every breath she took in would be painful.

“W-why now?? Why is this happening now?!”

It had been months since The Need reared its ugly head, so why was it manifesting now? And it was intense, unlike in the past; usually, it would build, but this was so sudden, and without any sort of warning. What was going on?

Dani tried to pull herself up. If she could make it to the bathroom, she could run a cold bath and submerge herself. Her hand attempted to grasp the doorknob again, but as sweat had pooled in her palm, it slipped.

She grunted in irritation.

“Dammit!”

Another pang hit, almost making her scream. It felt like her bones were melting. Tears licked the corners of her eyes as she tried to use her arms to hold herself up. As her limbs trembled, the young heroine grunted. Pulling her torso up, while in this condition, was a lot more strenuous than she cared to admit. It hurt, everything hurt, and it was way too hot. Outside, it was just 26 degrees. To her, it felt like it was over 100 degrees in her room.

“Argh…S-stop!” she cried to no one in particular. Her tears broke, cascading down her heated cheeks and offering no relief. “I-it’s too much…!”

Could Jazz help her? She didn’t know about The Need and she never intended on telling her, but now was not the time for propriety.

“J-Jazz!” Dani called, but her throat was monstrously dry, dampening the volume of her voice. Swallowing some saliva, the heroine managed to turn herself toward the door and began pounding on it.

If the older teen could just hear her…

“J-Jazz! Jazz!!”

No response.

Where was she?

“Jazz!!”

Dani pounded harder, but after two minutes, it was clear she couldn’t hear her. Was she listening to music? The young heroine didn’t hear anything, and Jazz didn’t use headphones. Was she in the lab? She didn’t make a habit of visiting the lab unless it was with the trio.

Could she not be home?

When would she have left? Did she have plans for the day?

Defeated, Dani let her hand slide down the door. Muffled sobs caught in her throat. There was no way she could make it into the bathroom.

Then, thoughts slammed into her consciousness, ones that painted very intimate pictures. Every inch of her searing body quivered in pain and desire.

“Argh!!” she screamed, holding her ribcage. She turned around and began to crawl to her bed. If The Need was manifesting now, did it have something to do with her lustful dream the night before? Was her body spent? Did she need Vlad **THAT** much?

It was clear she needed him, but he was on a plane, Colorado bound.

“V-vlad…!” she whimpered. She tried to suppress the more intimate thoughts, but they seemed to be as out of control as her body temperature. Her heart thundered in her chest, causing an ache to form there and she shut her eyes. At the same time, she felt a desperation grow from deep withing her core. It wasn’t just her body and mind that needed him, but her very soul.

“ARGH!!!”

_I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him!!!_

“N-no! St-top it!”

_I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him I need him!!!_

“Th-that’s enough!!”

_I NEED HIM!!!_

“Vlad!!!” she screamed, more tears escaping her closed eyes. “Vlad please, help me!!!”

Suddenly, her baby blues popped open, glowing ectoplasmic green. Twin white rings appeared at her midsection, changing her into Dani Phantom. All at once, she rose from her spot and dove through the floor, turning intangible as she did.

She zipped into the lab, eyes darting like mad until they found the ghost portal. Dani soared to it and practically destroyed the open button. The portal doors parted, and the ghost girl wasted no time flying inside. The billionaire mentioned once that his house in the Centennial State had a portal as well, so she just needed to find the right door…

Her brain ran at a thousand miles an hour, unable to process anything that didn’t have to do with her mentor. She didn’t even notice that the pain was gone.

After zipping around for what felt like hours, she found a ghost portal in an area that she didn’t recognize. The young heroine flew right up to it, eyes wild and unfocused. Turning intangible again, she phased through the door and found herself in another lab, though it wasn’t the one she was used to seeing.

This had to be it.

This lab was smaller than the one in Amity Park. It contained only two tables and a few shelves, and of course, the ghost portal. But this was of no concern. Dani flew through the ceiling and found herself in a cozy but spacious living room. The walls were exposed lumber, and the floor was hardwood. There was a rather large, off-white chaise sofa and a set of matching chairs before a grand fireplace. Behind her and to the left was a kitchen, which was odd, since kitchens tended to be separate rooms. In her rattled state, it took her a second to realize that this section of the house was open concept. One quick look up and she found a very, **very** high ceiling with a modern, black Nordic chandelier, with the lightbulbs placed around the sides of the open sphere. Then, looking back down and directly to her left, Dani was greeted by a wall of floor to ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of the Rocky Mountains. All of the trees were covered in snow, and the ground was blanketed by the white cold.

As it was now dark, it would have been impossible to see outside, but the light from the house allowed the ghost girl to behold the scenery before her.

“Oh my God…” she murmured. The sight was enough the silence the craving in her mind. She walked over to the glass, placing her gloved-hand upon it and stared out into the frozen forest. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. In Amity Park, snow merely got in the way and was generally seen as a nuisance. But here…here it was a thing to behold, a thing of true beauty and majesty.

Then she heard a low growl. Whipping around, she saw the large form of a bear standing just feet behind her. It was bearing its teeth, dripping green goop from his mouth onto the floor. But the spit wasn’t the only thing that was green.

The bear itself was the same otherworldly color.

“A…ghost bear?”

It roared and charged, causing the girl to yelp. She dove out of the way, landing on her hands and using them to push herself away from the fireplace (which she nearly landed in). The bear stopped just before it could crash into the window and turned around, following Dani with its eyes. As she landed back on her feet, the creature charged again. The heroine flew into the air and fired a beam of ecto-energy at the bear. It hit, causing the animal to roar in pain.

“Just---just stay still, O.K.?”

It’s eyes glowed red and it snarled at her. Then, without warning, it launched itself at her. Dani cried out as the bear took her back to the floor. Pinned under the massive beast, the young half ghost struggled and thrashed. She let out a grunt as she used both knees to knock her assailant off her. It flew into the chimney of the fireplace, leaving behind a dent that caused tiny parts of the stone to fall away. The bear hit the floor, seemingly stunned. Dani stood up and summoned more energy in her fists.

“I really don’t need PETA coming after me, so if you could let yourself out, that would be fantastic.”

Naturally, the bear did not listen, and it charged at the ghost girl once more. She fired again, hitting the animal in the face. It stopped in its tracks, roaring in great discomfort and rubbing its face with its paw.

“Look, I’m sorry, but you’re gonna have to stop coming at me if you don’t want to get hurt.”

It growled and began to pace left to right, never taking its eyes off of Dani. The girl swallowed, observing the animal’s every move. Suddenly, it charged, leaving the girl with little time to send another blast in its direction. It was just inches away when she blasted it with another powerful beam of ecto-energy. At last, the creature reared back, and then fell to the floor, limp.

“O.K….what the heck is going---?”

Abruptly, she heard a loud crash come from outside. Dani zipped to the front door (or rather, the door she **assumed** was the front door) and phased through it. Finding herself in the chilling air, Dani was perplexed to find that she was not shivering.

_Oh, ghost form, right._

Again, another crash. Following the sound of the noise, she found herself around the side of the house, where numerous ghost animals were engaging with four clones of Vlad Plasmius.

The heroine’s heart pounded in her chest. There he was---her One and Only. She smiled sweetly for a few seconds before reality careened back into her head.

_Oh my God, what in the world happened? It was like I was auto pilot or something! The only thing I could think about was Vlad._

_I seriously can’t believe I actually came all the way here just to be near him._

It was a serious lapse of judgement to be sure, but what could she say? The heroine had no sense of rhyme or reason; the only thing that mattered was getting to Vlad as soon as possible.

_I gotta admit, that’s kinda scary._

She didn’t want to experience something like that again. What if something like that occurred when she was in class? At the dinner table? During a fight with a ghost?

No, she had to make sure this didn’t happen again.

However, since she was here, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to lend her mentor a helping hand, would it?

Dani sailed over to the pack of wild ghost animals and fired at a stag that was trying to pounce on one of Vlad’s clones.

“Time to go and find yourself a girlfriend,” she stated before it turned around and glared at her.

The clone, meanwhile, adopted a truly surprised expression. His eyes went wide and his lips parted.

“Danielle?”

“Looks like you’re having a bit of an animal control problem,” she noted, looking away from the deer and into the clone’s eyes. It took everything she had to ignore the continued pounding of her heart.

“What are you doing here? How did you get here?” he asked, greatly puzzled.

“I…uh…”

She didn’t have time to finish as the stag lunged at her. Dani somersaulted out of the way and fired a ray of green light at the stag as it turned around to face her again. Vlad’s clone got assaulted by a rabbit, engaging his attention away from Dani as well.

“I appreciate this well timed, if not random appearance, but you should really head back home,” he hollered over the brawling. “Your parents are going to have a collective stroke if they find you out past your curfew.”

“It’s no big deal,” the girl responded as she punched the stag in the jaw. “They left the house an hour ago to go to Springfield. They’re attending some ghost hunting convention.”

“Ah, I see,” Plasmius said before he roundhouse-kicked a wolf. “Then I suppose Jasmine didn’t mind you leaving?”

“She wasn’t home either,” the younger half ghost enlightened as she ducked under another deer and then kicked it in the side, sending it into a nearby tree. “I’m not sure where she is.”

“Well, we best finish this so you can return home,” the older man concluded before he shot fuchsia beams from his eyes, bound for a charging moose. The animal was knocked back, hitting several other creatures and taking them down as well.

After about five minutes, Dani and Vlad successfully chased the ghost animals back into the woods. The ghost girl, panting, watched as the creatures retreated into the tundra-like darkness.

“What in the world was that all about?” she inquired in between breaths.

“This happens every so often,” Vlad began as all of the clones fused together again. “The ghosts of hunted animals are bitter toward humans, so every now and then they will attack a human abode with the goal of maiming anyone they find inside.”

“Jesus…so all of the animals were killed by poachers?”

“That’s right,” the older man replied. “What makes the situation difficult is that these ghosts cannot distinguish between poachers and those of us who just want some peace and quiet. As they are animals, of course, this makes sense.”

“So, is this why you had to come to Colorado?”

“Indeed. I have MastersTech security cameras all around my property, and when I see the ghosts of the mountains near my door, I know I have to act quickly, lest they tear my home down to splinters.”

“That’s awful---that this keeps happening.”

“It’s not that frequent; perhaps once or twice a year.”

“Still though, that’s gotta be rough,” Dani said as she cracked her back. “So I guess that’s why you’re here already---you didn’t take a flight but instead you used your portal like I did.”

“Ah, I had a feeling that’s how you got here,” the billionaire said as he cupped his chin. “Yes, I used my portal and was here within an hour.”

Dani turned around and looked at the façade of the house. It was grand, larger than life, definitely something that a pompous billionaire would own. With a smile, the young girl made note of the living room windows, knowing that the daylight view was probably even more brilliant than the nighttime one.

“You sure do like your houses big,” she commented as she turned back to her mentor.

“All the more space to relax in.”

“Sure, but for **one** person? Doesn’t it get overbearing at times, knowing that you’re the only one in such a large space?”

“And by overbearing, you mean lonely, right?” he asked with a smirk.

“W-well…” she began as she averted her eyes. “I guess…”

“To answer your question, no. Such a thing never bothered me, not until now.”

Dani looked back up at him.

“I told you earlier; when I permit myself to do so, I think only of you and I start to feel a crushing loneliness. Every day, I wish to have you with me. Every day, I wish that I could wake up and find you in my bed, sleeping quietly next to me with that smile of yours that rejuvenates me so.”

Averting her eyes again, the heroine felt her heart pounding once more.

“Every day, little badger, I dream of the day when we will never have to part again,” Plasmius proclaimed, touching Dani’s cheek with his delicate hand.

The Need had brought her here. The Need had driven her to find him, even if it wasn’t practical. It made sense to her now. Recently, she had been thinking so much about him, and her body and mind had craved him so much that The Need was merely a reaction. Simply being his girlfriend was no longer enough---her ghost side wanted more, and it didn’t care that now wasn’t the best time.

Blushing at her own thoughts, Dani lowered her face, hoping that Vlad hadn’t seen it.

But he did.

Whatever twist of fate had brought her to him, it couldn’t have come a better (or worse) time. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he was lonely; his mind, his body, his very soul pined for her like a wolf would for their mate. At first, it was manageable, but now he was overwrought with it whenever he allowed his focus to break. His iron-forged will was cracking again, and he wasn’t sure he would be strong enough to hold back the tide.

He was desperate for her, he **needed** her. Every cell in his body ached for her. One night, just this past week, the tycoon had dreamt of them together, but it felt as real as the chill of the Colorado night air. When he awoke, he found his arm outstretched, reaching for his dear little badger but unable to touch her.

This had almost been enough to break him.

It took everything he had not to teleport to Fenton Works and snatch her up like a good opportunity.

But now, here she was. She was with him, even though she had no earthly reason for being here, she was. It warmed his heart, knowing that even though she could be literally anywhere else, his little badger was with him.

“Why did you come here?” he asked, tenderness lacing his words.

“I---um…uh…” she began, without knowing what to say. She had never told him about The Need, so would now be a good time to bring it up? When Tucker had asked almost 4 months ago now, he didn’t seem to know that it was.

_Although, she was pretty indirect._

Plus, she was dating him now, so surely there was no need to worry about it anymore. At first, she didn’t want to him to know because it would allude to her feelings for him, but now that wasn’t a problem.

“Its uh…kinda of long story.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…I didn’t actually **plan** on being here…”

The business mogul cocked his head to the side, visibly confused.

“I sorta…well…I felt like a **had** to be here or I would’ve lost my mind.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Uhhh…”

A frosty breeze flew past, and although it didn’t rattle the half ghosts, it caused a flash of realization to cross Vlad’s face.

“Ah, but this is no place to talk. Come, let’s go inside. I’ll fix us something warm to drink,” he said with a smile.

“O.K.”

Once they were back inside the house, both half ghosts changed back into their human forms. The billionaire made his way into the kitchen and opened a cabinet above the stove.

“Do you like tea, Danielle?”

“Not so much,” the girl said as she plunked herself down on one of the bar stools. Like the couch and chairs, it was off-white, and it had a back rest, which made Dani feel like she was in the lap of luxury.

“Well, good thing for you, I happen to have a few packets of hot chocolate,” he replied over his shoulder. “Do you like Ghirardelli?”

“Do I!” the ghost girl exclaimed, her eyes flashing with enthusiasm.

He chuckled and pulled the package out of the cabinet, along with a box of Celestial Seasonings green tea bags. As he went about preparing their drinks, he regarded his little badger again: “So, about your abrupt visit…”

“Oh…that…well…”

“Come now, Danielle, you needn’t be shy around me,” he said with a smile as he poured water into the kettle and placed it on the stove. “Otherwise we would never get anywhere.”

“What’re you implying, exactly?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Simply that our conversations would fizzle out rather quickly and it would be nigh impossible for us to communicate,” he explained as he turned the stove on and faced her. “What? Did you think I meant something else?”

“N-no! And even if I did, I wouldn’t know anything about it anyway.” Dani said defensively, her face turning red again.

“No you wouldn’t, would you?” he teased as he rested his elbows on the counter, letting his intertwined fingers support his chin. “You’re still so inexperienced.”

“S-so what?”

“Oh, its not a knock against you, it is but a simple fact.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“I just said it wasn’t knock against you, my dear.”

“No, but you can still make fun of me without insulting me.”

“Does that upset you?” he asked with a coy smirk.

“Not at all,” she declared, but her pouting expression didn’t convince him one bit.

“You don’t inspire confidence, Danielle,” he stated.

“Yeah, well I can make you stop making fun of me whenever I want, so…”

“Oh ho, **can** you now?” the businessman said with much skepticism, his smile still firmly in place. “And how, pray tell, can you do that?”

“I don’t think you want to know,” the heroine said as she leaned away, diverting her eyes as her cheeks got redder.

“Really now? Well, I should tell you that I certainly beg to differ,” the tycoon disagreed. “What tactic can you employ that would render me unable to make fun of you?”

“So you admit you were making fun of me!”

“That point is irrelevant now, dearest.”

“Well now **I** beg to differ!”

“Focus, Danielle,” he instructed, that smile of his still in place and still annoying Dani. “I am most interested in this foolproof trick of yours.”

“Oh, it’s foolproof, alright,” the ghost girl replied, looking at the business mogul through her lashes.

“Then let’s hear it,” the older half ghost suggested, still coy.

“Better yet, let’s **see** it.”

Before he could blink, the young girl leaned over the counter and latched her lips onto his. They were soft, even if chilled by the cold weather, and tasted as sweet as always. The abrupt nature of the kiss stunned the older man, rendering him unable to move. His eyes were wide, and his heart skipped a beat as his mind went entirely blank.

All too soon, Dani pulled away, her features bathed in the brightest red he had seen on her face since their time in his lab. Despite this, she still looked him in the eyes.

“T-told ya.”

Vlad blinked several times in rapid succession. His heart was thumping hard against his chest, almost causing a dull ache to form there. It was impossible, wasn’t it, that someone could be this cute? How on God’s green earth did someone this undeniably adorable exist? Better yet, how in all the seven Hells and seven Heavens could God have created a girl that was this indescribably, irresistibly, and unreasonably cute??

The older man fully intended on walking around that counter and throwing Dani on the couch, but before he could, the kettle began to whistle. Both half ghosts looked at it, being pulled out of the thick tension.

“T-the water’s done…” the young heroine said.

“So it is,” the tycoon added, eyeing the kettle for few seconds before walking to the stove to turn it off. Once this was done, he poured the water into two mugs---one with a tea bag and other with shavings of chocolate. He took a spoon from the drawer next to him and stirred the chocolate with one hand and dunked the tea bag with the other. After another few seconds, he turned around and handed Dani her mug.

“Careful, its hot,” he cautioned with a smile.

“G-got it.”

She walked over to the couch and Vlad followed, eyes never leaving her. The ghost girl sat down in the middle of the spacious couch and held her mug close to her chest, looking down into the creamy brown liquid and noting how steam was rising from it.

The billionaire sat right next to her, leaving no room for empty space between them. With his leg touching hers, Dani’s heart thumped in her chest.

“That was quite the clever trick,” he said softly.

“W-well, you know…” the teenager said clumsily.

“I should love to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve.”

“I-I’m not sure I have anymore,” she replied honestly as she smiled nervously. “I think that was all I had for now. Hahaha…”

“Really? That’s too bad,” Vlad stated before taking a sip of his drink. “And here I thought I had underestimated you earlier.”

“You mean when you were teasing me.”

“Indeed.”

“Wait…are you teasing me again?”

In response, he merely chuckled.

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

“You want to make me stop, don’t you?” he asked suggestively, eyeing her from the brim of his mug.

Dani swallowed.

She wasn’t naïve, she knew his game. If he thought he could get a kiss every time he made fun of her, he had another thing coming.

“I think I’m adult enough to handle a little teasing,” she asserted, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. It was warm, cocoa-y, and very sweet. That was to be expected---after all, Vlad loved sweet things.

“Oh really? Well, that’s good to hear. However…”

“What?”

He placed his mug on the glass coffee table.

“I am sad to think that you would give up on your resolve simply because of embarrassment.”

She glared at him as he smirked back at her. Then the ghost girl cleared her throat.

“Well, it’s doesn’t matter anyway, since this isn’t what we were supposed to be talking about.”

“Oh yes, you were going to tell me why you came here---make sense of your earlier statement,” the billionaire said with a nod. “Well, go on then, tell me why you believed you would’ve lost you mind if you hadn’t come here.”

Dani squirmed in her seat.

“See, the thing is…I have this… **thing**. It doesn’t have a name, so I just call it The Need. It started after we first met, and Kitty---Johnny 13’s girlfriend---told me that it’s a physical manifestation of what ghosts feel for their One and Onlys---you know, their bonded partners? So…since I’m a half ghost, sometimes The Need kicks in, and I feel an overwhelming desire to by near you, and it hurts---like---really hurts, like I’m on fire or something.”

Vlad stared at her with a shocked expression, fret evident in his navy orbs.

“Danielle…that sounds dreadful.”

“It’s not fun, no, but it doesn’t happen all the often. In fact, since we started going out, it stopped entirely, but today…it just got out of control.”

“And this has been occurring since we met?”

She nodded.

“After I left you place in Wisconsin, but the pain didn’t start until a week later. See, ghosts pine for their One and Onlys if they’re separated for too long. And if I’m in my normal form when it hits, I feel the pain literally as well as emotionally.”

“One and Onlys; I’ve heard of those in the past, but I was never certain of the reality of the concept.”

“Well, it’s real all right,” the younger half ghost proclaimed in a shy tone.

“This would explain much,” the silver-haired half ghost thought out loud. “With Maddie, my feelings were never as intense as mine are with you.”

The girl looked up at her mentor.

“In point of fact, something similar to your ‘Need’ as happened to me as well.”

“Really?” the girl asked, her tone almost excited. So she wasn’t the only one?

“Indeed, when I wasn’t around you, I would feel pain all over my body. It never lasted long, but what was most notable was my desire to be near you. It was especially frequent before my move to Amity Park.”

So she wasn’t the only one!!

“I can’t believe it, this is awesome!”

Vlad looked at her, his face visibly perplexed.

“My discomfort is a pleasant thing?”

“No no no! I mean, until Kitty told me what it was, I thought I was a freak or a slut or a floozy, and after she told me I was still worried if I was only one who dealt with it, but now I know you did too.”

“Hold on, hold on, why the hell did you think you were a slut?” the billionaire asked with stern eyes.

“Oh…ah…well…”

That was something she didn’t want to go into. Sure, it was an insecurity that her peers at Casper High inspired, but she was past it now, and Dani didn’t like the idea of giving Vlad yet another reason to clean their clocks.

The man was scary when he was mad, and she knew what he was capable of.

“It’s just a silly teenaged thing I got worked up over a while back, but it’s hardly something to worry over now,” she explained truthfully.

He watched her with a skeptical gaze but said nothing.

“Anyway, it just feels nice that I’m not the only one who experienced The Need,” she said with an eased expression, one that made Vlad’s heart flutter.

“So, if this tells us anything, it is that we truly do belong together,” the older man said tenderly, reaching out and holding his protégé close to him. “We were fated to love one another.”

“Y-yup,” Dani murmured, a quaint flush returning to her face.

“I never needed a reason for my love for you, but knowing what it is, it only makes that love grow,” the billionaire said in a near whisper, peering down at her with affection blooming on his face.

The heroine chanced a glance at him, only for her heart to resume its normal rate whenever in concerned him. Her hands began to shake, which he seemed to notice, for he took her mug and placed it beside his.

“My heart truly did understand this before I did,” he said warmly. “My love for Maddie evaporated so quickly I thought it impossible, especially that you---the 16-year-old daughter of Jack Fenton---could completely override everything. But my heart did; it knew who you were, it knew you were the one I was fated to be with. This is why I couldn’t stand to be away from you, and it is also why I could never think of anyone or anything else.”

Dani fiddled with her pendant, only for Vlad’s warm hands to take hers and hold them close to his chest.

“Don’t you see? Our love was always meant to be,” he declared, and with such a look of adoration and blissfulness.

He meant what he said---he never needed to know why he loved her so much. But now that he did, it made his heart pound and gave his stomach quite the butterfly swarm. The businessman couldn’t believe that his love could be vindicated in such a way. He never doubted it, questioned it, or denied it, but now that he knew there was a cosmic reason, nay, **purpose** , for his feelings---as well as Dani’s---he was determined to protect it with all the fervor of any impassioned man.

“Danielle,” he began, looking so deeply into her eyes he was sure he would fall into them. “You and I are eternal, and nothing is going to get in between us. I swear on my very life that I will protect you. I will give you anything you ask, do anything you ask, even should your requests kill me.”

“Y-y-you don’t need to go that far…” the heroine said as she looked at the fireplace.

“Don’t look away from me, darling,” he beseeched, taking her cheeks into her hands, letting hers fall into her lap. “Don’t ever look away from me, my dearest. Look only at me, see only me.”

“I-I…I only see you…”

“I cannot bare it, this love…” he said breathlessly. “I knew I had gone mad, but I never imagined I could fall any deeper.”

“V-vlad…?”

“I burn for you, Danielle,” he declared. “My heart hurts for you.”

His face was so close, his body was so close, his **heart** was so close, she could swear she felt it pounding.

Or maybe that was hers?

The man’s navy eyes were unwavering, resolute, passionate---just like Rochester, and she was his Jane Eyre.

“Oh…I love you, my dearest one,” the tycoon decreed as he leaned closer, pressing his forehead to hers. “How I do love you.”

“Je t’aime, aussi,” Dani replied, tears falling from her affection-filled eyes. “Je ne peux pas être sans toi.”

The older man’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Heh, your French has gotten better,” he said quietly, spirit light as a feather.

“I-I’m getting a B in it.”

He chuckled again.

“I should hope so, with that pronunciation…your teacher would be a fool not to pass you.”

“Je t'adore aussi,” she proclaimed, smiling a quaint little smile.

“Rien au monde ne pourrait jamais te remplacer, mon plus cher amour,” the billionaire responded, his accent flawless and his voice low. “S'll vous plaît, vous ne devez jamais me quitter. Vous devez rester à mes côtés que je vais rester à côté de la vôtre; pour toujours et toujours.”

Dani blinked.

“Uh…my French is not **that** good…”

He laughed.

“Forgive me. I simply told you to remain at my side as I will at yours.”

“O-oh…g-got it…”

The businessman chuckled yet again.

“I love you,” Dani said clearly, doing well to temper her quivering voice. Again, she had to ask herself, how could something this wonderful exist? To find a love that feels this sweet, this passionate, this content. Surely they were breaking some cosmic law, loving each other as much as they did.

She wouldn’t be surprised if they were.

Suddenly, Dani felt herself fall backward. She let out a quick gasp as her back hit the couch. Looking up, her could see the face of her beloved staring down at her, his navy orbs consumed with the warmest of emotions.

“Those words,” he started. “They never seem to be enough. They fail to adequately communicate what I feel.”

“M-m-me neither…”

“Indeed?”

“M-my heart, my mind, everything…it’s too much… I-I mean…the feelings are so overwhelming, and…”

The tycoon smiled tenderly.

“You find yourself speechless, unable to put suitable words together?”

“Y-yeah…”

“That is because there are none; no words can describe this. These feelings we share, they can only be expressed through actions.”

And with that, he kissed her. It was sweet, gentle, like his lips were massaging hers. Both the half ghosts closed their eyes, with Vlad tracing his hand up her arm to hold hers. Once they met, their fingers intertwined.

More tears escaped Dani’s closed eyes, but these were not embarrassed tears. Rather, she was so overcome by her love, Vlad’s love, even, that no dam could hold them back. Her free hand found his other arm, which was adjacent to her left side. She imagined he was clutching the couch cushion, or perhaps he was resting his hand peacefully upon it.

When Vlad’s tongue went into her mouth, she jumped, but didn’t gasp. Just as it always did, it ventured the roof of her mouth before it caressed every inch it could. This time, Dani couldn’t help the moan that emanated from her throat. The older man hummed in response, making the girl’s heart flutter all the more.

Dani felt Vlad’s grip on her hand tighten. He pressed himself further onto her, eliminating any and all free space that was between them. He was so warm and sturdy, so strong and unyielding.

As the young heroine slid her hand up the older man’s arm, nerve impulses rang up his appendage, causing him to hum again. She was so dear to him, so precious; everything she did, every little movement of hers, especially ones that encouraged his actions, inspired great want and affection from deep within. Indeed, he felt as if his heart was going to give out, given how hard it pounded. He wanted Dani to keep feeling him, to keep her hands on him for as long as possible. He wanted her to touch every part of him, just as he wanted to touch every single part of her.

And nothing was going to get in his way this time.

They were alone. She had come to him to satisfy an instinctual need, and he wasn’t about to disappoint.

“Danielle,” he said breathlessly as he pulled himself away just a fraction. Getting a good look at her face, he felt himself becoming aroused; she was red, her lips were parted, and her baby blues were glistening with wanton tears.

“Vlad…” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

_God, I must have her---I **will** have her. _

“Danielle…I want you,” he murmured, his tone oozing with desire as he stared into her orbs once again.

The ghost girl averted her gaze, only for the tycoon to snatch her up into another kiss. It was slightly feverish, frantic even; it alluded to an almost uncontrollable urge building within, or perhaps a desperation. When he pulled up, his lips were but mere inches from hers.

“Don’t look away from me.”

“S-sorry…”

“There is no one else---nothing else that you should be looking at,” the older half ghost said before leaving soft kisses on her neck. “Never look away from me.”

“I-I wasn’t…I mean…I’m just embarrassed, so…”

The businessman pulled himself up so he could look at her again. She was looking at him, just like he asked, but she was shivering even more now. It was clear that she was giving it her all, despite how embarrassed she was.

“Forgive me, Danielle,” Vlad said, chuckling to himself for his impatience. “I am still pushing your limits, it would seem.”

“Stop worrying about that!” the teenager implored as she sat up a bit, forcing Vlad to lean back. “I want this too, and the only way its going to happen is if I man up!”

“You are referring to your becoming my equal, correct?”

“Yeah, and true, I have no experience with this stuff---and I’m a teenaged girl, so I’m bound to be embarrassed---but that doesn’t mean I want this to stop.”

“Back in my lab, you made it quite clear that you wanted me---you mean to tell me that that still rings true?” the business mogul asked, that all too familiar smirk playing at his lips again.

“O-of course it does…” Dani admitted, looking at the carpet.

_Dammit! Don’t look away from him! Show him that you mean it!_

She looked him right in the eyes, despite her now quaking body and red-as-fire cheeks.

“I-I want you, Vlad…I-I want to be with you…”

The silver-haired half ghost threw his protégé against him, holding her as close as he possibly could.

“I want you so much, little badger, and now we can finally be as one…I can finally show you the depths of my love.”

How long had he waited for this day? Too long, if you asked him. But now, after all that time---after all the uncertainties and doubts---the two of them could finally consummate their relationship.

Without wasting a breath, Vlad rose to his feet, taking his pupil with him. Carrying her bridal, he walked out of the living room and up a flight of stairs. Dani wrapped her arms around his neck, burring her face into his chest. The girl was more embarrassed than she had even been. Had she really said those things out loud? Were she and her mentor really about to---in his words---become as one?

She trusted him, always did, but she was terrified. She didn’t know what to expect; would it be like all the rumors she heard in school? Was it anything like Tucker had described to her?

Was it going to hurt?

Swallowing, the girl’s blue eyes noticed a slightly open door as they neared it. Vlad walked inside, and Dani was greeted by a king-sized bed, one fully made with a crimson comforter and plush pillows bearing cases of the same color.

_Holy cow, its almost the same as the bed I imagined in my dream last night._

_Trippy._

The rest of the room was just as grand; a polished hardwood floor was adorned with an off-white rug, mahogany dressers occupied both the left and right walls, and two luxurious arm chairs sat next to another, smaller fireplace, which was directly across from the right side of the bed. On the left side, right next to the bedside table (one of two), there was a mahogany bookcase littered with numerous novels.

The room was also dimly light, as the curtains were drawn, and the fireplace was the only source of light in the room currently in use.

It was a truly cozy space, the kind that made you want to cuddle up and take a nap or read something of great interest.

Vlad stepped over to the bed, delicately placing his dear one upon the velvety surface of the comforter. His navy eyes found hers, and what he saw within them made him even more aroused. There was uncertainty there, but also an unwavering resolve that made him admire her all the more. The tycoon had no doubt that she was afraid, but she was determined to become his equal, to not let her fears prevent her from experiencing the ultimate bliss.

And he would give it to her.

Oh yes, he would.

“Danielle,” he began, his tone quiet and warm. “You are the bravest, strongest person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You face every challenge head on, undeterred by fears and insecurities. You do what is right by others and you always attempt to see the good in everyone. In my eyes, you are beyond perfect, my dear little badger; you are the only person in the world that can sway my heart, and you do so just by being who you are.”

The young girl had to fight the screaming in her head telling her to look away. She wouldn’t, not now.

Possibly never again.

“You are indescribable,” he whispered as he leaned in and kissed her neck. He brought his knee up and onto the bed as his hands took hold of her shoulders.

Dani gulped and grasped the older man’s sleeves.

“Y-you are too,” she said shyly, staring at his elegant ponytail. “Y-you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I…all I could think about was you when we first meet, a-and ever since then it’s been the s-same. I…”

He eyed her, his face so close to hers.

“I really… **really** love you,” the ghost girl proclaimed, feeling her heart slam against her chest.

“And I love you, my dearest, my **truest** love,” Vlad declared, before pushing her down onto the bed. Like on the couch, the billionaire was on top of her. He was quickly beginning to realize that this was his favorite place to be.

She was so small, so fragile. She did her best when it came to fighting ghosts, and more often than not, she proved herself capable of protecting and defending others. However, at the end of the day, she was still a young girl---tiny and innocent.

It was her vulnerability that turned him on. Dani tried so hard to be the hero that Amity Park deserved, yet at the same time, she still quivered under him. It was similar in his lab; he found himself completely enthralled with her apparent fear, her uncertainty. Now, he understood that he wasn’t enjoying her discomfort. Rather, it was simply the instinctual reaction that men have with regard to women; when they appear so delicate and shiver with want, it is better than any aphrodisiac.

“Danielle,” he began in a low, husky tone. “I am at my limit. Please, let me touch you.”

His hands moved down her arms, sending a wave of nerve impulses down the girl’s spine. Her back stiffened, but she did not shut her eyes or look away from him. Though his eyes were firmly fixed on the rest of her body, Dani refused to avert her gaze from his face. She made note of how gracefully he moved, unlike herself. He was not shaking, he was not stammering. Rather, he was fluid in his movements. The man was confident, that much she knew, but she never thought that it could excite her. He was undeterred by shyness or embarrassment----could he even feel those things?

Seeing him act without hesitation, especially in this situation, was akin to watching him remove his shirt---it was thrilling and made the butterflies in her stomach even more jittery.

Those hands of his slid up her hips, with one going back up the length of her arm as the other lightly massaged her thigh. The heroine whimpered quietly, trying to control her volume.

But once that hand traveled up her shirt, this proved difficult.

She let out a gasp, one that made him chuckle under his breath. His hand then glided up to her breast, where it began kneading at it over her bra. Dani whimpered again, a little louder this time.

Her eyes shut instinctually, which served to amplify the feeling on his hand upon her chest. The ghost girl brought a fist up to her lips, trying once again to keep her voice down.

“There is no need to silence yourself,” the older man stated. “You do not need to hold back.”

She shook her head, too shy to respond with words. Embarrassment was rising, making this a hard battle to fight. Half of her brain was telling her to just let go, whereas the other half was screaming at her to hid under the covers.

His hands felt so nice, however, and she didn’t want him to stop.

Steeling herself, she opened her eyes. The younger half ghost saw Vlad’s hand under her shirt, and knowing where it was and what it was doing made the screaming even louder.

But she wouldn’t listen.

His other hand, the one that had been resting on her forearm, came back down and grabbed the bottom of her shirt. His other hand abandoned her breast and almost took hold of her shirt, and after a mere half second the tycoon lifted the garment over her head and tossed it onto the floor.

The screaming in her head sounded like a storm now.

Vlad had seen her half naked torso before, but it had been only **once** before, so it was still new to him.

“Ah, it is red today,” he said, smiling, his orbs looking over the plain but vibrant undergarment.

“Y-y-yup…”

“But I wonder what is being hidden underneath it?” he asked rhetorically as he reached around and found the clasp. Dani’s shaking intensified, causing her to grasp the older man’s shoulders. In one swift movement of his fingers, the billionaire undid the clasp. After this, he removed the garment with the swiftness of a road runner. The sound of the soft thump that the bra made as it hit the floor caused the girl to shut her eyes again.

The man was breathless. They were indeed on the smaller side, but they were definitely bigger than they looked. He had commented on this back in the girl’s locker room, but now, right before his eyes, he found that his words rang even more true than he thought.

“Oh, Danielle,” he marveled. “They are **beautiful**.”

The younger half ghost opened her eyes again. Her mentor’s face was alight with wonder, inspiring another emotion within the girl. Now, she was confused. She never thought her chest was anything special, but certainly nothing bad, either. To her, they were normal, if not a bit small.

Tucker was lot luckier in that department.

Vlad grabbed both breasts, massaging them gently. Dani whimpered yet again, but this time she did not close her eyes. Instead, she looked over the man’s shoulder, staring at the wall without seeing it.

“They are so soft,” he whispered, sending a tingling down Dani’s spine. “So smooth to the touch.”

The heroine’s baby blues darted to the left.

“And these,” he started, taking both of her nipples in his index fingers and thumbs. “They’re already so hard.”

He twisted them, not too hard but not gentle either. The ministration caused Dani to moan, but it was muffled by her closed lips.

“You don’t need to hold back, dearest,” he reminded, his voice like honey.

“I-i-it’s too embarrassing…”

“Because it is me?”

She nodded.

He laughed.

“I suppose it would be.”

He rolled them, making her moan again.

“You’re responding so nicely to me, little badger,” he praised, looking her right in the eye. “Does it feel good?”

She nodded again.

“Oh, but you are adorable, my darling,” the business mogul moaned impassionedly, suddenly moving downward and latching unto one of her nipples with his lips. He licked and sucked, making the temperature in Dani’s face rise and her heart thunder.

“A-ah!”

He started massaging the other breast, interspersing the kneading with a few twists of the nipple there. Dani wrapped her arms around the billionaire’s head, feeling his velvety soft hair on her bare, heated skin.

“V-vlad…!” the ghost girl moaned, her voice (luckily) still quiet.

If she could think rationally, she would’ve been rather proud of herself.

The older half ghost rose his head, eyeing his dear one wantonly.

“You are sensitive here,” he relayed. “Very sensitive, in fact. Could it be that you’ve never touched your nipples before?”

“N-n-not really,” she admitted.

“You needn’t feel self-conscious. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I-I’m not ashamed…just…”

“Embarrassed?”

That seemed to be the word of the day.

“Mm hmm.”

“It is alright, little badger,” Vlad reassured, placing his hand upon her cheek and doing circles with his thumb. “Rest assured, you will forget all about your embarrassment.”

_But saying that just makes this even more embarrassing!_

The tycoon chuckled again. She was just too much.

Way too much.

He could feel his crotch getting tighter, his pulse quickening. He needed to touch her more, to feel her more, to know every inch of her body as he knew every part of her heart.

“Danielle,” he said in a near whisper. “You tantalize me. I need more.”

He resumed his previous ministration, causing Dani to moan again, only this time it was louder. The feel of his warm, wet tongue on her erect nipple sent shockwaves of pleasure throughout her petite form. Could something like this really feel this good? It seemed impossible, and yet…

“V-vlad…!”

Her hands wandered through his silver tresses, allowing her to feel its sensitivity and instilling in her a sense of calm. Though it was vastly overshadowed by the embarrassment and pleasure, this calm had enough of a presence to be recognizable.

With a pop of his lips, Vlad released her nipple. He then kissed his way up her neck, making her quiver all the more. Meanwhile, his hands slid over her shoulders and he ran his nails up and down her skin.

“More,” he asserted in a low tone before licking up her ear.

“Ah!” the girl gasped.

“I need more,” he repeated. “This isn’t enough.”

The businessman removed one of his hands from her shoulders and brought it to her crotch. He started caressing it, and even over her jeans Dani jerked in response. Vlad chuckled darkly when he found her zipper. Wasting no time, he pulled it down and quickly discarded the garment.

“Oh, but they do not match.”

He was referring, of course, to her panties. Unlike the vibrant, almost seductive red of her bra, Dani’s underwear was white, bearing a quaint little ribbon and the top of the waistline.

“I-i-is that weird?” she asked, self-consciousness threatening to consume her brain.

“Not at all,” the man assured. “Most women don’t wear matching underwear. When they do, it is usually planned.

And how did **he** know that?

“But that hardly matters right now, yes?” he asked teasingly. “We have no need for this.”

He reached down, intending to remove it, but Dani grabbed his arm.

“Wait!”

Vlad looked up at her, eyes startled.

“What’s the matter?”

“Uh…u-um…”

What was the matter? Isn’t this what she wanted? Didn’t she want him to touch her there?

Of course she did, the only problem was one simple little fact: he would be seeing her naked. Plus, it was her private area, a place that was meant to be protected and guarded like a palace.

But, this was Vlad. He was **supposed** to see it, wasn’t he? Didn’t she want him to see it, touch it---do other things to it?

“I-I uh…um…I-I just d-don’t think it’s fair, s-since, you know, I’m p-pretty much naked, and you’re…”

_Smooth, Fenton, real smooth. He’ll see through this, no problem._

Although, it **hadn’t** escaped her notice that the older man was still fully dressed. Perhaps he had been so caught up in the moment that he simply forgot? Probably.

“Ah, I see, you make a good point,” the billionaire said as he looked at himself.

_Wait, what?_

“I didn’t wish to scare you or make you any more embarrassed than you already are, but I suppose you **would** feel rather exposed,” he surmised.

“H-how could seeing you naked scare me?” she asked, feeling her face flush as the words passed her lips.

“I am quite hard at the moment, Danielle,” Vlad answered bluntly.

She needed only to glance down his body to see it for herself. Even though he was above her, she could tell that his crotch was fit to burst.

“However, your wish is my command,” he proclaimed with a smirk as he began removing his blazer. He sat up and slid it off, allowing it fall behind him. Then, he unbuttoned his crisp white shirt. With each button he undid, Dani felt a thrill in her chest.

Vlad pulled off the shirt and, like his blazer, let it fall. He was bare-chested now, his breathing more easily visible as his shoulders rose and fell.

Dani had seen him shirtless only once before, but he was still just as stunning. She sat up as well and inched closer to him, starting to run her hands over his abs and chest. In response, the business mogul hummed in delight.

“Feeling your hands on me…it is truly a pleasant sensation.”

The ghost girl continued to feel his sturdy body, gaping at his toned muscles and his defined sternum. She was so enraptured by him that she failed to notice where her hand was; she swiped her finger sharply over his nipple, causing him to gasp and jump.

Panicked, Dani looked up at him.

“A-are you O.K.?”

“Yes,” he replied breathlessly before gathering himself. “Like you, I am quite sensitive there.”

“Really?”

“Indeed.”

“Guys are sensitive there too?”

“Some are, but not all.”

“But you are…”

Did that mean he would feel good if she touched them? Could she do what he did to her and he would react the same way?

Provided she could even do it, of course.

_I sure as hell can!_

“Yes, but that’s not import--ah!”

Dani rubbed his nipple with the pad of her thumb, doing everything she could to keep herself from aborting. She began touching the other one as well, making the older man moan. The more she played with them, the harder they got, and the ghost girl couldn’t help but gulp.

The older man lulled his head to the side and his eyes slid shut for a moment. Upon opening them, they flashed red.

“Oh…Danielle…” he keened, his voice low.

“I-is this alright?”

“Yes…oh, yes, it is.”

So, was it safe to proceed? Should she continue doing this for a little longer?

_I have to admit, its really hot seeing him this way…_

She wanted to make him moan some more.

With another gulp, she leaned in close and kissed one of his nipples. Vlad hummed, cupping the back of her head and letting his other hand stroke her arm.

“Mmm…yes…that’s it…” the billionaire encouraged softly.

Was she really playing with him like this? Was his little badger **actually** kissing and licking his nipples? Was she **seriously** initiating some of the action??

Well, if his twitching erection wasn’t any sign…

“Little badger…” he moaned before stroking her long black hair. “You are…oh…you are simply magnificent.”

Desire gripped his mind like one would grip a parting loved-one; it was getting more and more difficult to restrain himself. Images of shoving her back down on the bed and taking her unforgivingly assaulted him as he hummed and moaned. Vlad was nearing the end of his rope, but he knew that succumbing to his urges would only frighten his dear one even more. She was already embarrassed, no need to add terrified on top of that.

He would have her; he just needed to be patient for a little bit longer.

But it was killing him.

“Danielle…” he moaned again.

The ghost girl felt her heart skip a beat, forcing her to stop. Even though she hadn’t done much, she was already short of breath. Perhaps it had to do with how turned on she was?

Her baby blues found her mentor’s navy orbs, and the two just looked at each other. Dani noticed the blush on Vlad’s face as well as the lustful look in his eyes. He was desperate for her, but was holding back. He didn’t want to hurt her, so he was restraining himself---she could see that.

Even now, in the thralls of arousal, he was still trying to protect her.

The younger half ghost teared up but wiped them away before they could spill.

“What is it?” the older man asked, concern mingling with the want in his voice.

“I-It’s nothing, I was just thinking about how kind you are.”

“Kind?”

“You could do anything you wanted…y-you could give in to your baser urges but you’re not…you’re still holding back.”

“Of course I am,” he affirmed. “As I’ve said countless times, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“T-that’s what makes you kind,” the heroine said before hugging him. “You’re always looking out for me.”

“Naturally,” the silver-haired billionaire began, embracing her back. “Because I love you.”

He could feel her breasts against his bare chest, sending his heartrate into the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to silence the voice in his head; it was a powerful one, telling him to slam her down and have his way with her. He wanted to pleasure her just as much as he wanted to feel pleasure, and this voice was getting harder and harder to ignore.

“Danielle…I don’t think I can hold back anymore,” he confessed, holding her tightly. “I want you so much… **so** much…”

“Vlad…”

“I can’t anymore, dearest…I---” he cut himself off as he put all of his weight against her, sending her into the bedding. He began kissing her neck frantically, moaning in his throat as he went. The heroine was startled at first, but then she too was overcome by desire, and soon she was moaning as well.

“Tell me you want me. Tell me that you want me, Danielle,” he instructed as he kissed down her heated neck.

“V-vlad…”

“Tell me, Danielle, tell me that you want me.”

“I-I-I want you…”

Without a verbal response, Vlad kissed down her chest, licking and sucking her nipples again before venturing further south. His tongue was hot against her, making her shiver. Whining but trying not to, Dani squirmed and bit her lip.

The billionaire reached her belly, kissing it feverishly and caressing her sides.

“V-vlad…”

Moving even further down, the older man caught her gaze with his own. He was now at her panties, which made her look away from him.

“Don’t look away from me,” the businessman ordered. “Never look away from me, little badger.”

Reluctantly, the girl’s eyes found Vlad’s again. In one swift motion, the tycoon phased off her panties, apparently too impatience to remove them the conventional way.

Dani gasped, but maintained eye-contact. Her cheeks were burning, no doubt resembling the red dawn. However, she had no time to dwell, for the billionaire was quickly on her; before she even had time to blink, Vlad’s tongue was caressing her clit.

She cried out, warm tears building up and quickly spilling over.

Her skin tingled, her body felt hot, and her fingers ached for something to clench. Grabbing fistfuls of the comforter, the young girl shook like a leaf.

“Ah! Ahh! O-oh God…”

Her mentor was unrelenting; his moist organ ran over every inch it could, from the labia to the urinary opening. With each stroke of his tongue, the young heroine emitted a sound that she was not accustomed to hearing from herself. In all the times she’d pleasured herself, she never managed to make herself squeal.

This was just further proof that she and Vlad were meant for each other.

“Vlad!” she whined, rolling her head from side to side.

Then, without warning, the tycoon plunged a finger into her.

“Ah!!”

Just like back in the lab, it wasn’t painful but definitely uncomfortable. He was moving very quickly, amplifying the discomfort. However, there was a part of her that enjoyed this, that wanted him to keep at it. Behind the mild pain, there was a pleasure, one that was now familiar to the young girl. She craved it, longed for it, demanded it to be given to her in full force.

But she wouldn’t say this out loud. Moreover, she could barely speak.

“You’re so wet, Danielle,” the billionaire teased, looking back up at her. “I can feel you pulling me further in.”

“D-don’t talk like that!” she whimpered.

“But what did I say about looking away from me?”

The ghost girl shook her head and shut her eyes.

“Disobeying me, now, are we?”

“I-it’s too much!”

“Oh, but you must be enjoying yourself,” the business mogul conjected as he sank another finger inside of her. “Look how loose you’re getting. You’ll be able to accommodate more than just my fingers.”

“S-stop talking like that!”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he purred. “You’re quivering, Danielle. You must want my cock even more than I realized.”

“V-vlad!” she cried in intense embarrassment.

“If you want me to stop, then look at me.”

Hesitantly, she did as she was told. She froze when she saw his face; his cheeks were flushed, his lips were parted, and his eyes were glowing red.

He rose, bringing himself away from her crotch but did not remove his fingers. Rather, his stare bore into hers, holding her hostage as he plunged a third digit in.

“A-ah!!”

“You tasted sweet, little badger,” he mused, hovering over her like a skulking shadow. “Just as sweet as I remembered.”

“V-vlad…”

“Yes?”

“Y-your eyes…”

They were the eyes of a predator. They were, literally, ablaze with lust, casting a light that originated from the very depths of the man’s primal nature.

“Do they frighten you?”

She wasn’t sure. They were alarming on their own, but the reason for their glowing wasn’t scary to her. In fact, Dani was flattered, excited even, that she could make his powers react that way.

Was this common for other bounded ghosts?

“I don’t think so…”

The business mogul smirked, causing Dani’s breath to catch in her throat.

“The things you do to me…” he said, slowly pulling his fingers out only to shove them back in again. “It’s a wonder how I was able to control myself as long as I had.”

“I-i-it’s ‘cause----oh God---y-y-you’re kind…”

“Yes, you said that earlier, but I think you’ll find that I’m not so kind. In fact, I think you’ll see that I’m actually quite cruel,” he stated, his smirk never leaving his face.

“N-no, you’re kind…y-you’re a good person…d-deep down i-in there…”

“Not at the moment, my sweet.”

“B-but you’re m-making me f-feel good, s-so you’re b-being kind…”

Vlad’s face morphed into a confused visage.

“Are you not still embarrassed?”

“S-sure, but…a-ah! I-I-I feel good, too…”

The billionaire sighed in great pleasure. He leaned down and kissed his dear little badger, slipping his tongue into her mouth with the greatest of ease. She was not resisting him, nor was she looking away. His little love was perfect---completely and entirely perfect.

He rammed his digits in and out of her, causing the girl to moan into the man’s mouth. In reply, Vlad moaned as well, which made Dani’s heart skip a beat once again. He was moving so fast now, but the pain was all but gone. The young heroine felt nothing but pleasure as her One and Only brought her to the point of absolute bliss.

It was building, pooling in her stomach. She wanted to breath but could only inhale sharply through her nose. Luckily, Vlad pulled away enough for her to get proper breaths in.

Well, almost proper.

“You’re close now, aren’t you?”

“Mm hmm…”

“Oh, how I want to make you cum,” the older man proclaimed. “Yes, I can feel it, you are very near. Cum for me, Danielle, cum for me.”

“V-vlad!”

“Cum for me, my dearest, you’re almost there. Yes, cum for me. Cum for me!”

White-hot heat shot through her body, making Dani cry out even louder than before. She gasped and twitched against the blanket beneath her, gradually relaxing as the seconds passed. Her fists loosened their grip and she allowed herself to close her eyes.

“Danielle,” Vlad murmured as he kissed her again. “You did very well, but we’re not done yet.”

The girl’s eyes popped back open as she saw her mentor leaning away and unfastening his belt. Only now was it hitting her that he was serious, truly serious. For the longest time, he restrained himself, and even in his lab, he was adamant that his erection be left alone. Now, it seemed that he was without restraint; he had been holding back for too long, and if he didn’t get what he needed soon, he would go mad.

Well, madder than he claimed to be, anyway.

“It makes my heart race, knowing that I am the only person who has made you cum,” the billionaire admitted, smiling longingly as he slid his belt from it’s notches. “I am elated, Danielle, truly elated.”

The heroine stared at him, antsy and nervous.

“You have no idea how much this means to me,” he continued, unbuttoning his trousers and pulling down his zipper. “How much **you** mean to me.”

He then pulled his trousers down and gracefully slipped out of them.

“Now, however, I can show you.”

The tycoon grabbed his own undergarment and phased it off. Before the younger half ghost was a sight that made her heart stop. All at once, she felt a confusing rush of emotions; she felt desire, she felt fear, she felt happiness, and she felt embarrassed. Was this real? Was this really about to happen?

It was large, larger than she assumed an erection would be. It also looked red and angry, with the tip resembling that of an Amanita muscaria---just without the white dots.

It was no wonder he was so frantic. It really did look painful!

Dani gawked at her mentor’s erection, her mouth slightly agape as she sat up on her arms. He was truly the image of an Adonis, with quite the boon to back it up.

It felt truly strange to gaze up something so private.

Something that was so foreign to her.

“Do you like what you see?” the billionaire asked, not a hint of shyness to be heard.

“I-I…” she stammered, not knowing what to say but feeling the need to vocalize something.

Vlad chuckled.

“Are you afraid, perhaps?”

“I-I’m not afraid…”

“You don’t need to be frightened, my love,” he said in a low tone. “I promise, I will be gentle.”

“I-I said I’m not afraid…!” Dani maintained, but her heart swelled at his words none the less. Truth be told, she was afraid. Not much, but this was all so new, so untested; the girl had been brought to her limits many times within the last hour. Regardless, she still wanted this, she wasn’t backing down. To come this far, only to back out now---it would be torturous!

And not just for Vlad.

“There is no need to lie, I can tell that you’re nervous. Just relax,” he soothed, stroking her hair like one would a puppy.

“I-is it going to hurt?”

“I will endeavor to make it as painless as possible.”

_So, it’s going to hurt._

With all the times Dani had been thrown into walls, dropped from monstrous heights, shocked within an inch of her life, and beaten around by ghosts, she thought she’d be ready for a little pain.

The irony was not lost on her.

The older man gently pushed the heroine back unto the bed, his hands warm against her shoulders. As her heart began to pound again, she watched Vlad position himself in front of her entrance. Thrill and panic flooded her veins, causing her to tremble once again. Her mind raced, her heart danced, and her eyes wandered all over the man above her.

He had waited long enough.

He had been patient for such a long time.

Now, he would finally have his reward; he would finally make love to her dearest girl.

Her fair skin taunted him as he positioned himself. It was silky smooth and delicate to the touch. Her entire body was a marvel, one to be worshiped and protected. He peered up at his little badger through his lashes, seeing her uncertain, but unwavering face. Vlad watched the rise and fall of her breasts and stomach as she breathed, feeling his desire reach its peak.

And then some.

His eyes flashed red as he leaned forward, holding her gaze in his. She wasn’t looking away, and after tonight, she would never look at anything else again.

“Danielle,” he moaned before he felt himself brush against her entrance. “Are you ready?”

Without hesitating, she nodded.

The tycoon moved forward, sinking the tip of his member inside her. Not but a few second after, he pushed a little further. Dani gasped and shut her eyes. She was still embarrassed, but this time, she closed them for a different reason.

It hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Perhaps it was because she was too tense? She remembered Tucker telling her something of this sort a while ago.

The ghost girl knew she had to relax, but with her hormones going haywire, she could barely think rationally.

Dani inhaled, letting air come into her nose before letting out a shaky breath.

“Are you alright?” the older man asked quietly, concern lacing his words.

“Y-yeah…” the girl said as she exhaled again. “I-I-I’m fine…”

“I shall move slowly,” the businessman said gently. “Give you time to accommodate me.”

“B-but isn’t this going too slow for you?”

“Danielle, this isn’t about me,” he proclaimed, cradling her cheek. “All I want is for you to feel safe and secure. Yes, I desire you, but what I desire more is to see you truly enjoying this. I want you to want this, again and again and again, and that won’t happen if your first experience is scarred by my impatience.”

“Vlad…” the girl murmured. Tears gathered and clouded her vision, but she was smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

At the touch of her hands, his pulse ignited. Vlad’s eyes flashed again as he gradually moved backward, only to pushed himself forward again. This deliberate movement, as slow as it was, brought him pleasure, and that couldn’t be denied. 

“Oh…oh Danielle,” he groaned. “I am…I am inside you…”

“Vlad…”

“At last…at last I am here…where I was meant to be.”

More tears came, finally spilling in a cascade of pain, lust, and love.

“Vlad…!”

He moved a little faster, making his protégé yell. Dani grabbed fistfuls of her mentor’s hair, inadvertently pulling out his ponytail. The teenager gaped as his silver tresses fell over his shoulders and down his back. It was graceful, majestic even, despite the hot and heavy situation.

“Oh my God…” her whispered. His long hair was finally down, his shoulders were hunched, eyes glowing red, and his body naked and starting to sweat.

“What?”

“You’re so beautiful…” she proclaimed in earnest.

He blinked at her in confusion, but quickly chuckled in realization.

“You’re only now noticing?”

“You’re…you’re way out of my league…” Dani said bluntly.

“Dearest, how can you think something like that when I’m so deep inside you?”

Her face flushed at his words and she said nothing.

“You’re still pulling me in Danielle, just like earlier,” he teased, a smirk forming on his face. “My longing is being met by your body’s own desire for me.”

The girl noticed a black hair tie around her ring finger. She brought it up to her lips and lightly kissed it. It faintly smelled woodsy.

Looking her mentor in the eyes, she saw a gaping expression gazing back at her.

“M-my body does desire you,” she declared, feeling her heart nearly stop at her own words. “Please, don’t stop.”

The business mogul’s eyes burned with red light as he growled. He resumed his previous movements, causing Dani to gasp again. The older man bucked his hips, moving back and forth swiftly. It hurt, but oddly enough, not as much as earlier. She must have been getting used to him already.

Or maybe it felt too good to hurt anymore.

For indeed, Dani did feel good; she felt a pleasure that built on the pleasures she experienced before. It was intense, threatening to consume her whole, but she would allow it. She wanted nothing more than this, to be in the arms of her true love as he buried himself deep within her inner walls.

“V-Vlad…!” she moaned, the volume of her voice being higher than before.

“You are so warm inside,” he commented, the words oozing with lust and teasing. “So warm, I think I might just melt.”

He pressed himself fully inside, causing Dani to cry out. She felt full; with his entire length stretching her thin, the young heroine’s cavern felt a pressure that was entirely alien, but it ignited her desires. The thought that he was, indeed, inside of her, made the girl want to scream his name, beg him to pleasure her until they were both spent.

But there was no way in hell she was say this aloud.

It was just too much.

Everything was too much.

“V-Vlad!”

“Oh…but it does feel right…” the older half ghost mumbled. He pulled away suddenly, almost completely pulling out, only to plunge back in so roughly that Dani squealed. “Yes, this is were I belong---where **you** belong.”

“H-huh…?”

As he thrusted, he continued.

“You are mine, Danielle, **mine**. You belong to me, me and me alone!”

His voice was impassioned, demanding. This was an order, one that she had no intention of disobeying.

She moaned louder, feeling his member slide back and forth, back and forth, and with such speed; he had to be moving with the ferocity of an animal. It was big, long, and it was taking away all rational thought and giving her such pleasure.

“V-Vlad! I---I---”

No coherent words or thoughts crossed her mind. She was merely running on instinct.

And apparently instinct demanded that she say his name.

“Say that you belong to me,” the business mogul ordered, his tone husky.

“U-Uh…”

“Tell me that you belong to me,” he repeated, opening his eyes and sending his glowing gaze deep into hers.

“B-but…”

It felt so good, too good to respond properly. All she could, and wanted to do, was moan. She didn’t want to think, mostly because she couldn’t.

“Tell me, my love, tell me that you belong to me!” he insisted, almost begging. Did he need to hear it that much? Wasn’t this already established?

Was he just that desperate to hear her say it on her own?

Flattery rose in her heart and caused her skin to heat up.

“I-I do! I-I belong to you!” she proclaimed, feeling Vlad’s member somehow getting harder inside her. Was such a thing possible?

It made her cry out again. if nothing else.

“Say you love me, Danielle---say you love me!”

“I-I-I love you…!” she replied, tears rolling down her face.

“Oh…yes! Danielle, I love you too, I love you so much, my dearest one!” he asserted as he embraced her. His strong arms held her upper body in a vice like grip as his hips began grinding into her, somehow going deeper within.

“Ah! Ah! V-Vlad!” Dani yelled, unable to control her voice anymore.

_It feels so good! I can’t---_

“Danielle,” the billionaire began, holding her so close that he could feel her sweat upon his chest. “You are the only one---you alone drive me to this.”

“V-Vlad…?”

“You make me insane, darling. Oh, how you drive me to madness!”

Was this madness? Was he overcome with these intense feelings too?

“I cannot control myself anymore,” he declared breathlessly, pulling himself up so he could look into her baby blues again. Dani saw that his eyes were still glowing, but that didn’t frighten her at all.

She understood completely.

He was mad; he was an animal; he was the beast that was going to devour her, body mind and soul.

And she wanted to be devoured, to be claimed by him completely and utterly.

“You are soaking wet, Danielle,” he panted, a smirk raising on his flushed face. “I suppose you are mad as well, eh?”

Maybe she was.

“My cock is cradled in your walls, with you desperately pulling me further and further in.”

“V-Vlad!” It amazed her how, even now, she could still be embarrassed by his words.

Would she ever get used to them?

“Yes, yes, more, Danielle. Say my name, scream for me, darling.”

“Vlad!” she yelled, feeling more tears escape her lidded eyes.

“Little badger, I can feel it now; you are close,” he observed. “Yes, it is my cock that is making you cum now. I am the one who is making such sweet love to you!”

“Y-Yes!” Dani screamed. The heat pooled in her core, threatening to spill over any second now.

“You will cum again, my love, yes, you will cum again for me.”

“Y-Yes! I-I feel---”

Dani had closed her eyes mere moments ago, only for them to pop back open again. It was like a building wave---a rising 20-foot wave that was about to crash against the rocky shores of the cliff’s edge.

Then she felt Vlad’s member twitch and jerk. She wasn’t sure how, but she instinctually knew that he was close too.

“Vlad!”

“Yes, oh yes, almost there, my love, stay with me, now,” he said as he panted, picking up his speed and bucking his hips so feverishly it was almost unnatural.

“N-no! It’s too much!”

“Don’t you mean, ‘please, give me more’?”

“V-Vlad!” she cried. Her face was as red as an open flame. The heat, the passion, the embarrassment, it all rolled into one. Indeed, it was far too much, but Dani wanted to relish in it until the end.

“You want me to make you cum, don’t you little badger?” he teased, that coy smirk back on his face.

She dare not say it aloud, so instead she offered a frantic nod.

He hummed and continued to pull and plunge with his length. Vlad held her so close to his body, daring not to let go. Dani embraced him back, gripping his back with her arms more tightly than she ever had. As they held each other, the older man rocked his hips in circles, creating a difference friction that made the younger half ghost whine. This whine, wanton and desperate, flew right into his ear (as her lips were mere inches way) and in response Vlad’s eyes glowed brighter. He growled and hummed, sending his tongue into **her** ear. The wet sounds, coupled with the noises of his throat, caused Dani to cry out once again.

“O-Oh G-God…!”

She was so close now.

“I am going to cum, Danielle,” the businessman spoke softly into her ear. “You’re about to make me cum.”

“V-Vlad!”

“Yes, together now, Danielle.”

“Vlad!

“Let us cum together, my love, my---”

He was interrupted by a grunt, his own grunt and his smirk faded as a strained, desperate look took hold.

“It is so good,” he moaned. “Ah! Danielle!”

“Vlad!”

“Please, Danielle, we must cum together! You, only you, my sweet, my heart, my **soul**!”

They groaned repeatedly, one after the other. They were so close, too close to the edge. They were about to fall of the cliff, and there would be no recovery.

“Vlad! I-I’m about too---!”

“Yes, yes, as am I!”

“Vlad!!” Dani screamed, her tear-filled eyes finding her mentor’s own. “I-I can’t---”

The tycoon kissed her wantonly, his tongue slamming into her mouth. The girl grunted in surprise but did nothing to stop him. With his firm body on top of her, his arms wrapped around her torso, his tongue in her mouth and his length frantically moving within her, the ghost girl felt herself slip, her vision became white and she shut her eyes. Then, before she could prepare, white-hot heat pooled in her core. Not but a second after, Vlad pulled away and groaned. His voice was hoarse, but he managed to let out the loud sound as he gripped her even tighter. Dani’s back arched and she grabbed her mentor with much force.

“Danielle, I love you!” Vlad cried just before his liquid love flooded the girl’s cavern.

“Vlad!!!” Dani bellowed as she climaxed, feeling Vlad’s cum coat her insides. Her hands gripped his hair but did not pull. Her cries continued for a few seconds before she could no longer muster a sound. Suddenly, fatigue gripped her, and she feel limp against the comforter.

Dani felt her mentor relax as well, but his arms remained as they were; wrapped around her and cradling her close.

She was shaking, he was shaking, and either of them said a word. Rather, pants and tiny moans filled the air as the two half ghosts attempted to regain their breaths.

After a minute or so, Dani opened her eyes. She found Vlad, still atop her, and breathy steadily. His head was next to hears, resting on the pillow, just inches from her face.

Then, he turned to her. His eyes were no longer glowing but were instead filled with a warmth that Dani could only describe as adoration and fulfilment.

“Little badger,” he whispered as a quaint smile adorned his features.

The ghost girl smiled sweetly.

“I trust you are well?” he asked sincerely.

She nodded.

“Mm hmm. I’m O.K.”

“Good, I’m glad,” he said before nuzzling his nose against hers.

In response, Dani giggled.

“I’m fine, and are you…?”

“Hm?”

“Do you…feel better?”

The tycoon blinked at her before smiling again.

“Yes, I have never felt like this.”

The older man lay on his side and brought Dani against him.

“We have finally become one.”

Dani looked up at her mentor.

“At last, we have made love, and at last, you are well and truly mine.”

Dani’s blush deepened.

“Y-yeah, a-and you’re mine too…”

The billionaire gazed down at his protégé. She was still so small yet so determined.

“That’s right, Danielle, I belong to you, now and forever.”

The young heroine rested against his chest, feeling a few hairs tickle her skin.

“I do not wish to separate, even for a moment,” the older half ghost confessed, smiling sweetly into the girl’s hair. “I want to remain like this forever.”

“M-me too,” the teenager agreed.

Vlad shifted, then paused, then shifted again. Dani was about to ask about it when she felt his member slide out of her. The sensation made her jerk and she felt her pulse stop for a moment.

“Forgive me,” the older half ghost began, a smile still on his face. “I didn’t wish to stimulate you further.”

Dani heard from Tucker that people tended to be very sensitive after sex, so any more friction after the fact could cause great discomfort.

“It’s O.K.,” the girl replied. This was yet another example of his kindness.

“I meant what I said, but this will have to do.”

“Huh?”

“I did not want to separate, but like I said, I don’t wish to overstimulate you.”

_So that’s what he meant._

“You know, you really are a FrootLoop,” the half ghost heroine stated.

He chuckled.

“Yes, yes I suppose I am.”

“But its O.K.”

“Hm?”

“Because…I love you just as you are, Vlad,” Dani confessed, feeling the blush return to her cheeks.

“I should be so honored, little badger,” the pompous older man said with a smirk. “Having your love is the only thing I truly crave. It is the only thing that makes life worth living.”

“I-I wouldn’t go **that** far,” the girl responded with a nervous laugh.

“Oh, but I would.”

 _And that’s why he’s a FrootLoop_.

“Stay with me tonight,” the billionaire said in a clear tone.

“But, what about Jazz?”

“Simply tell her that you’ve spend the night at Tucker’s.”

Since Dani didn’t want to leave either, this excuse was fine with her. And besides, Tucker would cover for them, without question.

She was just that kind of a friend.

“O.K.,” she said before sighing contently, nuzzling herself against her mentor’s warm and broad frame. As her eyes slide shut, Dani could hear the beat of Vlad’s heart and the pleasant words he spoke to her.

“I love you, Danielle. I will always love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Again, thank you for reading and enjoying this silly little story.


End file.
